'Black Bottom Stomp' by Jelly Roll Morton Flashcards
When was it recorded?
1925.
What was JRM’s band called?
Red Hot Peppers.
How many musicians where in JRM’s band?
7/8.
What instruments appear in this piece?
Clarinet, trumpet, trombone, piano, banjo, double bass, drums.
What are the stylistic features of this piece?
Early jazz. Dixieland jazz; characterised by New Orleans polyphony/collective improvisation.
Also influenced by march style (seen in the march structure), ragtime (seen in the piano solo), and has a so-called ‘Spanish tinge’/habeñera (seen in the Charleston secondary rag).
What are the structural elements of this piece?
March structure.
Informed structure of ragtime.
Binary form (AB).
Describe the tonality and harmony of this piece.
Perfect cadences up the circle of fifths in each new ‘A’ or ‘B’ section.
Early example of walking bass.
Describe the melodic writing of this piece.
Ragtime piano solo.
Walking bass during banjo solo.
Contrary motion chromatic backings.
Describe the rhythm of this piece.
Quite a fast tempo.
Syncopation.
Cut common time transitions into common time.
Describe the texture of this piece.
New Orleans polyphony/collective improvisation.
The end of each section is defined by a monophonic bar.
Piano solo is unaccompanied.
Dialogue and antiphony established in call and response.
Describe the sonority of this piece.
Emphasis on virtuosity.
Slides and twiddles.
Soloing themes passes around instruments.
Piano is ragtime, with strides.
Double bass is pizzicato.
What was especially important about the bass?
The double bass was played in pizzicato, which provided a strong rhythm and harmonic foundation in the music.
It has a very early example of a walking bass.
It has a more percussive sound, which gives greater propulsion to the music.
